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UW Students’ Work Increases Power Company Rebates

March 19, 2012 — A pair of University of Wyoming students are mapping the
lighting in several older campus buildings in a project that will make UW more
energy efficient.

Sydney Jones, of Sugarland, Texas, a junior in zoology; and
Kaci O'Grady, of Wheatland, a junior in agricultural business, are developing a
detailed inventory of the lights in each building to allow UW to qualify for
rebates offered by Rocky Mountain Power.

The work is the students' learning project in the Campus
Sustainability course offered through the Haub School of Environment and
Natural Resources. They are working with Frosty Selmer, deputy director of
utilities management with the UW Physical Plant, to replace T-12 fluorescent lighting
with more energy-efficient options.

"The energy and financial information they provide will aid
the university Physical Plant in acquiring rebates from Rocky Mountain Power
while helping the university become a more sustainable institution," Selmer
says. "It will have implications both on
campus and in the community, and could serve as an example for other Albany
County businesses to become more sustainable." He
says the amount of the rebate will be lower after July 14.

"The rebate incentive to replace T-12 bulbs with lower-wattage
lights becomes even more attractive with the production of T-12's ending on
July 1," Selmer says. "This means that as T-12 lights burn out, they will
eventually need to be replaced with lower-wattage bulbs because of a lack of
alternative options."

Photo:University of Wyoming students Kaci O'Grady, left, and
Sydney Jones are providing energy and financial information to help the
university receive rebates for converting to more efficient lighting in campus
buildings.